National Thyroid Awareness Month: Resources for Support

January is National Thyroid Awareness Month, a month dedicated to encouraging knowledge, understanding and awareness of thyroid importance, and prevention of thyroid cancer and disorders. During National Thyroid Awareness Month, organizations—like the American Thyroid Association and The National Academy of Hypothyroidism—promote a full range of thyroid tests and treatment options that you can get from your healthcare provider.

About the Thyroid

The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located in the base of the neck just below the Adam's apple. Although relatively small, the thyroid gland plays a huge role in the body, influencing the function of many of the body’s most important organs, including the heart, brain, liver, kidneys and skin. Ensuring that the thyroid gland is healthy and functioning properly is important to the body's overall well-being. By secreting a hormone that regulates your metabolism, your thyroid makes sure your body uses energy at the proper rate.

If your thyroid is not functioning properly, your metabolism may burn energy rapidly or not quickly enough. Fatigue, weight gain, sensitivity to hot or cold temperatures, or rapid heart rate could be a result of an over- or under-active thyroid. It is estimated that millions of people, mostly women, have undiagnosed thyroid disorders.

Resources for Help

If you are experiencing any unusual symptoms, contact your doctor and be sure to ask whether your thyroid could be causing the problem. Don’t have a doctor? If you are a Health Advocate member, call us! You will speak to a Personal Health Advocate, who can help you find an in-network, local, primary care physician or a specialist.  Health Advocate can also help you schedule your appointment, get a second opinion, and more.

If you do not have access to Health Advocate, The American Thyroid Association website offers an easy-to-use search tool that can help locate physicians in your area.

Learn about different thyroid conditions:

·         Hyperthyroidism FAQ

·         Hypothyroidism FAQ

·         Thyroid Cancer FAQ

·         Graves’ Disease FAQ

Other websites offering support include:

·         American Academy of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery: www.entnet.org

·         American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists: www.aace.com

·         American Association of Endocrine Surgeons : www.endocrinesurgery.org

·         International Thyroid Oncology Group: www.itog.org

·         Graves’ Disease and Thyroid Foundation: www.NGDF.org 

·         Light of Life Foundation: www.checkyourneck.com 

·         National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/thyroid

ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc.: www.thyca.org

All about thyroid disease

January is Thyroid Awareness Month, which helps raise awareness of thyroid disease. Some experts have estimated that as many as 59 million Americans have thyroid issues—and many are undiagnosed and therefore untreated.

What is the thyroid?

It’s a small, butterfly-shaped gland in your neck. It produces hormones that deliver oxygen and energy to the rest of your body’s cells.

What are the types of thyroid disease?

Hypothyroidism happens when the thyroid is underactive, while hyperthyroidism is when the thyroid is overactive. The thyroid can also become enlarged (this condition is called goiter). In some cases, the thyroid can develop lumps that are cancerous—thyroid cancer is one of the fastest-growing cancers in the United States.

What are the symptoms of thyroid disease?

Depending on the specific kind of thyroid problem, symptoms can range from fatigue, depression, weight gain and hair loss (in the case of hypothyroidism) to an increased heart rate and elevated blood pressure, anxiety, and rapid weight loss (in the case of hyperthyroidism). There are many other symptoms of thyroid issues, too, and all of these symptoms are also symptoms of other conditions, so the best practice would be if you notice any new, strange symptoms and/or just don’t feel well, go to your doctor for a checkup. Your primary care physician can run tests to check for thyroid disease and/or many other conditions that could be causing your symptoms.

The importance of having a primary care physician

If you don’t have a primary care physician, it’s a good idea to choose one. If you need help finding a doctor who’s in-network with your insurance plan, local to you, and has hours that are convenient to your schedule, consider asking an advocacy service for help. You may have access to a service like Health Advocate through your employer; if not, Health Proponent (Health Advocate’s consumer division) can also help you locate a primary care physician.